A Door Made of Fungus!
© Peter Endig/dpa—picture alliance/Getty Images
This material was made from a part of a fungus called mycelium. It can be used to create doors.
The word fungus makes some people cringe, but not all fungus is bad. In fact, the yeast in our bread and the mushrooms on our plates are both fungi. Now, a company in Denmark has developed a door with fungus as a main material.
Danish company Rebound worked with an architectural company (a company that designs buildings) to develop a door that contains mycelium. Mycelium is a bit like the roots of a fungus. If you were to dig a mushroom out from the ground, the mycelium would be the part that’s underground.
© Christine Whitehead/Alamy
The white stuff in this photo is mycelium.
Why use mycelium instead of wood to make a door? Unlike trees, which grow slowly, mycelium grows quickly, so it’s easy to produce.
Rebound grows the mycelium in a door-shaped mold with a wooden frame. In only about two weeks, the material grows into a panel that’s lightweight but strong enough to be used as an interior (inside) door. Like wooden doors, mycelium doors help block sounds. Their handles are made from recycled seashells.
The architects decided to use this technology to make doors because the natural material has a special look that’s not at all like wood. Mycelium doors are details that can make a home more interesting.
And if anything happens to a mycelium door, it won’t take long to create a new one. That’s the beauty of fast-growing fungus.
